South Bend, IN vs Portland, OR
Moving from South Bend to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($238,866 → $552,022 median home) and taxes.
South Bend vs Portland at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in South Bend, IN, you'd need about $116,783 in Portland, OR (+$16,783).
Livability — South Bend, IN: 71 · Portland, OR: 55 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,978 sqft in South Bend vs 1,540 sqft in Portland ($126 vs $325 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | South Bend, IN | Portland, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,080 | $21,564 | +$5,484 |
| Groceries | $4,734 | $5,240 | +$506 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,680 | +$430 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,704 | −$228 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $900 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $7,022 | $14,382 | +$7,360 |
| Total | $34,618 | $47,470 | +$12,852 |
Side by side
| Metric | South Bend, IN | Portland, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.4 | 106.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.85% | 5.06% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.2% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 45 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.20 | $6.07 |
| Median home price | $238,866 | $552,022 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.8× | 6.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.7% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $126 | $325 |
| Median rent | $1,340 | $1,797 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 0.90% | 0.92% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |